Briefs: City announces re-striping work planned on Ohio 13

Ohio 13 striping work planned

The city engineering department announced re-striping work is planned this week on Ohio 13, between Ohio 16 and West Church Street.

The purpose of the modification is to allow southbound Ohio 13 traffic to proceed on North Fourth Street through the corridor without changing lanes. An additional northbound through lane at Locust Street will also be provided.

Licking County Records Center open

NEWARK – The Licking County Records and Archives Center has opened at 61 East Main St., in the rear of the Licking County Annex building and behind the Licking County Administration Building in downtown Newark.

The Records Center moved from its interim location behind the Licking County Sheriff’s Office. The new facility assists county staff and citizens in searching through Licking County’s history, dating to the establishment of the county in 1808.

It has approximately 7,000 record storage boxes and bound books from several county courts and departments, with a total capacity of 10,500 boxes. The storage area contains a 60-row high density mobile shelving system and full temperature and humidity controls vital for long-term preservation of records.

The center has a robust scanning program, and many scanned records are available to the public. To view a list of the center’s holdings, go to the website at lcounty.com, or contact the staff at archives@lcounty.com, or 740-670-5121.

The hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

For extensive research, the center suggests making an appointment with the reference archivist in advance.

Licking County unemployment jumped in June

NEWARK – The Licking County unemployment rate jumped from 3.5 percent in May to 4.6 percent in June, with 1,000 additional residents classified as unemployed.

Some of Licking County's unemployed may not have been part of the workforce previously, and are now actively looking for work. The workforce grew by 800 to an all-time record of 91,600 in June.

There were 87,300 Licking Countians employed in June, down from 87,700 in May.

The June unemployment rates also increased in all surrounding counties. Coshocton saw the largest jump, from 5.5 percent in May to 7.2 percent in June. Others were: Delaware 4.0; Franklin 4.5; Fairfield 4.7; Knox 5.0; Perry 5.7; Muskingum 5.7.

The corresponding state unemployment rate, not seasonally adjusted, was 4.2 percent in June. The U.S. rate was 5.3 percent.

Ohio EPA loan helps city improve wastewater system

NEWARK – The city of Newark obtained an $11.6 million low-interest loan from Ohio EPA to rebuild and replace equipment for its anaerobic digestion system.

The city will replace the sludge digestion system’s mechanical components and replace the concrete tops on the digesters, the Ohio EPA announced.

Newark Utilities Superintendent Roger Loomis said the 30-year-old system is deteriorating and causing maintenance headaches. The project started a month ago and will be completed at the end of 2019. The loan repayment begins in 2020, Loomis said.

Sewer rates were increased years ago to prepare for this project, and others, Loomis said.

Created in 1989, the Water Pollution Control Loan Fund provides below-market interest rate loans for communities to improve their wastewater treatment systems. The low-interest loan will save the city an estimated $2.3 million, compared to a market-rate loan

Moe’s Original Bar B Que returns to regular hours

NEWARK – Moe’s Original Bar B Que announced it will celebrate the re-opening of Church Street with a return to its regular hours and a three-day “Church revival” for the restaurant’s customers on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

The celebration includes special prizes and giveaways at the restaurant, located at 21 W. Church St., beside Denison Art Space in Newark, Thirty One West, and The Bootlegger Bar.

“The road closure has been tough on business, and our crew,” Moe’s co-owner Greg Tracey said. “But, Church is back and we’re happy to be smoking the good stuff again.”

Moe’s Original will be open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, featuring an updated menu and new happy hour specials.

Coupon specials can be obtained on Facebook, or downloaded from moesbbqnewark.com. Restrictions apply.